The battles of the world : $b or, cyclopedia of battles, sieges, and important military eventsBorthwick, J. Douglas (John Douglas)
History
The battles of the world : $b or, cyclopedia of battles, sieges, and important military events
Borthwick, J. Douglas (John Douglas)
Battles; Military history
It has often been a subject of deep reflection to me, to think
how utterly reckless man can be made by habit: so used were we
to these sights, that it became a mere commonplace matter to see
such relics of devastation and massacre. I remember walking with a
friend down the centre of the camp, and we had often to stride over
skeletons, without the least observation, further than I could not
help heaving a sigh, and reflecting in silence on their unfortunate
end.
The next day took us thirteen miles on a road of extreme
barrenness; the high, wild, rugged mountains, hemmed in the narrow
defile; the skeletons of the massacred force still strewed the
road in every direction; no signs of vegetation, or aught to
relieve the eye from wildness--the numerous hollow crags, as we
passed, seemed to ring with echoing despair, and afforded most
formidable positions for the treacherous Affghan to use his jezail
or matchlock, without fear of opposition. The enemy, finding we had
now entered the Pass, hovered about, and succeeded in murdering an
officer, and a few men of Pollock’s force. The divisions marched
one day a-head of each other, and thus kept up a continued line of
communication. I, with General Nott’s, arrived at this ground on
the 14th; the road was equally extremely harassing the next day,
as indeed, ever since our entrance to the Pass. The ascents and
descents are so numerous, coupled with having to cross the water so
often, and there being no hold for the feet, on the loose flinty
stones, made it very trying for both man and beast. Upwards of
twenty times had the gushing torrent, dashing from side to side of
the valley, to be waded through, and numbers of bleaching frames of
the victims of Akbar’s treachery, lay exposed in the midst of the
rolling stream. In one part of this day’s march we came to a place
fifty yards in length, crowded with dead bodies of men, horses,
and camels, which were those of a troop of irregular cavalry, who
had all been cut up on this spot. About a mile from Sah Baba, our
next ground, stands a round tower, the ruins of an old fort; it
was now used as a bone house, and was crammed to the ceiling, with
skulls, legs, arms, and shattered frames, and numbers were heaped
outside the door, and round it,--placed there by the enemy, to
form a glaring spectacle of their bitter revenge. A large body of
Affghans were now seen covering the hills in our rear, and opened a
fire into the dreary abyss, on our rear guards and baggage as they
passed. The column had moved on some few miles, but were halted,
and those of our troops in possession of the heights commenced
an attack, and succeeded in repelling them, and forcing them to
retreat, and we reached camp with little loss. This place is said
to be the burial place of Lamech, the father of Noah, and if we may
judge from its wild, dreary, stony, barren appearance, which looked
as if it had been washed up into a heap after the deluge, and so
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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